How to Remove Sound from iPhone Video: A Comprehensive Guide

Capturing videos on your iPhone is incredibly convenient, but sometimes the audio recorded isn’t quite what you want. Perhaps there’s distracting background noise, or you simply want to use a different audio track altogether. Thankfully, removing sound from iPhone videos is easier than you might think. This comprehensive guide will walk you through various methods, from the built-in editing tools to third-party apps, ensuring you can achieve the perfect silent video.

Why Remove Sound From Your iPhone Video?

There are several compelling reasons why you might want to remove audio from your iPhone videos:

• Distracting Background Noise: Wind, traffic, or nearby conversations can ruin a perfectly good video. Removing the original audio lets you focus solely on the visual content.
• Improved Visual Storytelling: Sometimes, silence is more powerful. Removing sound can create a more cinematic or contemplative feel to your video.
• Adding Custom Audio: You might want to add music, a voiceover, or other sound effects to enhance your video. Removing the original audio provides a clean slate.
• Privacy Concerns: Accidental conversations captured in the audio might be sensitive. Removing the sound ensures your video is safe to share.
• Avoiding Copyright Issues: If you accidentally captured copyrighted music, removing the audio prevents potential legal issues.

Methods for Removing Sound from iPhone Videos

Let’s explore the different methods you can use to remove sound from your iPhone videos. We’ll cover both the built-in tools and third-party apps.

Method 1: Using the Built-in Photos App (Simple Mute)

The most basic way to remove sound is to mute the video directly in the Photos app. This is a quick and easy solution, although it doesn’t truly remove the audio data – it simply silences it.

Steps:

1. Open the Photos app: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Select the video: Locate and tap the video you want to mute.
3. Tap ‘Edit’: In the upper right corner of the screen, tap the ‘Edit’ button.
4. Tap the Sound Icon: In the upper left corner, you’ll see a sound icon (speaker). Tap it to mute the video. The speaker icon will be crossed out to indicate that the audio is muted.
5. Tap ‘Done’: To save the muted video, tap the ‘Done’ button in the lower right corner. A new version of the video with muted audio will be saved in your library and the original video will remain unaffected.

Pros:

• Extremely easy and quick.
• No need to download any additional apps.

Cons:

• Doesn’t truly remove the audio track; it only mutes it. The audio data is still present in the file, which is usually not a problem but might be if you want the file to be as small as possible
• Doesn’t allow for more advanced editing or audio replacement.

Method 2: Using iMovie (More Control)

iMovie, Apple’s free video editing app, offers more control over audio. You can not only mute the audio but also truly remove the sound from the video file. This method is a better choice if you need more precise control over the final result.

Steps:

1. Download and open iMovie: If you don’t already have it, download iMovie from the App Store. Open the iMovie app.
2. Start a new project: Tap the ‘+’ button to start a new project. Select ‘Movie’ to create a basic video project.
3. Import the video: Choose the video you want to edit from your Photos library. Tap ‘Create Movie’ at the bottom of the screen.
4. Select the audio track: In the timeline, tap on the audio section which appears below the video section. The yellow outline confirms the selection.
5. Mute the audio: After selecting the audio section, a new menu will appear at the bottom of the screen. Tap the speaker icon (mute audio). The volume level will be set to zero. The audio will be muted.
6. Remove the audio (Alternative): Instead of simply muting the audio, you can truly remove the audio track completely if desired. Select the audio section as described in the previous step and then tap the ‘Detach’ button. This action will separate the audio from the video. Now, you can select only the detached audio and tap on ‘Delete’ to remove the audio track entirely from the file. This will result in a video file with no sound.
7. Share the video: Tap ‘Done’ in the upper left corner. Then, tap the ‘Share’ icon at the bottom of the screen (square with an upward-pointing arrow). Select ‘Save Video’ to save the edited video to your Photos library or share through other platforms.

Pros:

• Free and readily available.
• Offers more control over audio editing.
• Allows you to completely remove the audio track, not just mute it.
• Provides other editing options, such as adding custom music or voiceovers.

Cons:

• Requires downloading an additional app (if you don’t already have it).
• Slightly more time-consuming than the Photos app mute method.

Method 3: Using Third-Party Apps (Advanced Features)

Many third-party video editing apps available on the App Store offer even more advanced audio editing features. These apps often come with more nuanced audio controls and options for adding special audio effects. Here are a couple of examples:

1. InShot

InShot is a popular video editing app with a user-friendly interface. It’s great for social media content and offers a variety of audio editing features.

Steps:

1. Download and open InShot: Download InShot from the App Store and open it.
2. Start a new project: Tap on ‘Video’ to create a new project. Select the video you want to edit.
3. Select your video: InShot will display your recent videos in your photo library. Choose the video to edit.
4. Mute the audio: Locate the ‘Volume’ icon in the editing menu and tap it. Move the slider all the way to the left (zero percent) to mute the original audio.
5. Remove the audio (Alternative): Alternatively to muting you can also completely remove the audio track from your video. After importing your video to the app select ‘Audio’ in the editing menu. Select the extract audio option and then delete the audio track. This will result in a video file with no sound.
6. Save your edited video: Tap the ‘Save’ icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Choose your desired resolution and frame rate, and tap ‘Save’ again.

Pros:

• User friendly interface
• Free version with many useful features.
• Advanced features, including audio extraction, fading and mixing.

Cons:

• The free version has ads and a watermark.
• Some advanced features require a paid subscription.

2. CapCut

CapCut, developed by the same company as TikTok, is another powerful free video editing app. It’s known for its ease of use and extensive feature set, including comprehensive audio tools.

Steps:

1. Download and open CapCut: Download CapCut from the App Store and open it.
2. Start a new project: Tap on ‘New Project’ and choose the video you want to edit. Tap ‘Add’ in the bottom right corner.
3. Select the video track: Click on the video track in the timeline.
4. Mute the audio: Find and tap the volume icon in the menu bar. Set the volume to zero by sliding the audio bar to the left. This will mute the audio of the selected video.
5. Remove the audio (Alternative): Another option for removing the audio track completely is to select the video track, tap the ‘Extract Audio’ button, and then delete the extracted audio layer. This will remove the audio track and leave only the video footage in the output file.
6. Save your edited video: Tap the ‘Export’ button in the upper right corner of the screen. Choose your desired resolution and frame rate, and tap ‘Export’ to save your edited video to your photo library or share through other platforms.

Pros:

• Very user friendly interface
• Completely free with no watermarks.
• Extensive library of audio effects and music.
• Powerful audio editing options, including noise reduction.

Cons:

• Some advanced features may take time to learn.

Tips for Removing Sound Effectively

• Preview the video: Before saving your video, always preview it to make sure the sound is completely removed or muted to your satisfaction.
• Choose the right method: If you only need a quick mute, the Photos app is sufficient. For more control, consider iMovie or a third-party app.
• Backup your original video: Make sure you have a backup copy of your original video before you start editing, so you can revert to the original if needed.
• Experiment with audio replacement: Once you’ve removed the original audio, explore options for adding custom music, voiceovers, or sound effects to enhance your video.
• Test on different platforms: Check the video in different apps and devices to make sure that audio is removed on all platforms.

Conclusion

Removing sound from your iPhone videos is a simple process that opens up a world of creative possibilities. Whether you’re looking to eliminate distracting background noise or create a completely silent video, there’s a method that will suit your needs. By using the built-in Photos app, iMovie, or powerful third-party apps like InShot or CapCut, you can easily achieve the desired result. With a little practice, you’ll be able to edit your videos like a pro and create engaging content. Now you can focus on the visual impact and improve your video storytelling skills!